Above and Beyond
by K-9mom
Summary: This story type is a tad different for me so I hope ya'll like it. It does involved a dark subject but moves on fairly quickly and focuses on a special bond of two SG-1 team members. Please let me know what you think whether good, bad, or ugly. :)
1. Chapter 1

It had been under General Hammond's order that Sgt Siler had sent the M.A.L.P. through the Stargate to P3X-378. It showed no activity so they thought it was safe enough to send SG-1. Daniel was excited about investigating the ruins they had seen in the camera so Hammond gave them a go.

The four members of SG-1 got themselves geared up and they went through the gate as they've done so many times before. On the other side they didn't see any activity so they picked a route and started down the path. Teal'c on point with Major Carter, Daniel Jackson, and Colonel O'Neill covering their six.

Once they were about 2 clicks down the path, Teal'c stopped and made the hand gesture for all to take cover so they all darted into the woods behind trees. Carter and O'Neill took the safety off their P-90's and Jackson took out his Beretta in case he needed it. Not a moment later, the sounds of staff blasts hitting the trees on all sides were engulfing the team. They began firing back in the direction the shots were coming from as O'Neill ran to Jackson to be sure he was covered. He hated the fact that the Air Force sent civilians out into the field with virtually no tactical training. It reminded him that when they got back he was going to bring Jackson to the range and start him on the path to certification to carry an automatic or at least semiautomatic to protect himself. Being on a front line team really made it necessary.

When the shots finally began ending, O'Neill, Jackson and Teal'c stood and gathered to be sure everyone was ok. O'Neill looked around, "Where's Carter?" Thoughts started running through O'Neill's mind: _Shit, she must be down somewhere!_

The two men followed O'Neill when he ran to her last known location, "Carter!? Carter!?" The men all yelled out and O'Neill got on his radio, "Carter come in! Carter!?" He waited but no response came and the three continued to search the area. "SHIT! Where could she be?" Daniel didn't know what to say but Teal'c thought for a moment. "It appears as if Major Carter has been taken prisoner."

O'Neill shot Teal'c a look of anger, "Who, who are these people? What would they want with Carter?" Teal'c and Jackson had no answer so they remained quiet. Teal'c began walking towards the natives which they had shot so O'Neill and Jackson followed. "They do not look familiar to me O'Neill and do not appear to be Gou'ld or Jaffa," Teal'c finally spoke up. Jackson was looking closely and although it was obvious to O'Neill due to their hair and garb, Jackson spoke up. "They appear to be primitive by the way they look. I wonder how they came upon staff weapons." Teal'c raised an eyebrow at Jackson's question as he could only think they were either given to them or they killed the Jaffa who were holding them.

O'Neill was thinking about his next move, he wanted Carter back. "Ok, let's see if we can get back to the gate and get a radio transmission back to the SGC. They arrived without incident which O'Neill thought was odd. _Why wouldn't these obviously aggressive natives protect their gate? They let us in and out, it wasn't until we walked a few clicks that they attacked us. _

Finally General Hammond was on the other end of the radio and O'Neill explained that Carter was missing and that he wanted at least SG's 3 and 5. "These are heavily armed people and we need to find where they are and then figure out how if they have Carter and if they do, we need to extract her. Sir, I don't even know if she's still alive." A lump the size of a golf ball clogged his throat just saying it but he had to stay positive and keep his emotions in check.

Hammond said he would deploy the teams within the hour and asked SG-1 to hold the gate for them so they didn't get ambushed when they came through which of course they agreed to do and they all signed off.

O'Neill leaned against a nearby tree with his palms to his eyes, "Dammit! Why did I let her out of my site!?_"_ Daniel knew why and he felt awful. "Jack, it's not your fault, it's mine. If you didn't have to cover me you would have been on her side of the trail and would've at least seen them coming." Jack looked into Daniels eyes and saw the hurt, so he put his hand on the younger man's shoulder. "No, not your fault either Daniel. Shit happens. What we need to do now is find Carter and get her back safe. But we do need to talk about getting you some range time on the P-90 or something other than the Beretta and Zat Gun." Daniel nodded his head and understood what Jack was trying to get to. They had come such a long way from Jack not wanting an archeologist on the team to Jack finally trusting him although they did not always see eye to eye. But still, one of the other members usually had to cover him in an aggressive firefight and Jack was right, it wasn't fair to them.

Teal'c remained on constant guard until he heard the swoosh of the gate. He was happy they finally had reinforcements. He feared what these people could be doing to Sam. He knew she wouldn't have gone without a fight and wouldn't have let her radio go unless they forced her. He just had a feeling in his stomach that was uneasy about the whole thing.

When the other SG teams arrived, Jack was impressed Hammond had sent more than he expected. Not only SG's 3 & 5 as requested, but also SG-6. Jack filled them in on what had happened and what he wanted them to do. They all knew Jack and Sam had a special bond and how hard it would be for Jack to be missing her of all people.

Jack instructed SG-6 to stay near the gate and the other three teams decided to split up but stay close enough to cover each other if needed. As the teams were moving Teal'c took point again with Jack and Daniel behind him. They got a bit further than the last time and could actually see the ruins where they believed Carter may be held. It was decided to wait until night fall before attempting to move any closer.

Jack was still beating himself up for allowing it to happen so it took Daniel some fancy talking to keep Jack on task and not blaming himself. As night fell, Colonel Makepeace felt it was a good time to try to make their way in closer to look around and hopefully find and extract Carter if she was there. Jack agreed and gave SG-3 the permission to take point, then SG-1 and SG-5 could cover their six. It wasn't a position Jack gave up readily but he knew his mind wasn't functioning at its best.

As they got closer to the ruins, they were again ambushed but this time they were ready for it and were able to exterminate all the people firing on them which opened a window of opportunity for SG-1 to enter the ruins from a back entrance while the other teams covered the outside.

The first two buildings were just empty buildings although there appeared to be some bedding type areas, there were no people inside and Daniel found nothing of interest which was good because there was no way Jack was going to stop and let him explore any archeological findings. Jack just wanted to find Carter and get out of there.

In the third building there was a long table which appeared to be where everyone ate, there were torches for light and some rooms off the larger main room. Jack and Teal'c cleared the first few rooms which appeared to be bedrooms but found nothing until finally a room hidden in the back showed a dark form of a person bent into a fetal position. Jack took a deep breath and shined the light of his P-90 onto the form and there she was, the naked backside of his missing team mate.

Jack shut his eyes for a moment taking another deep breath. She hadn't moved or responded to their presence which sent a cold chill through his body. He asked Teal'c to step out of the room with Daniel while he checked it out. He knew Daniel would never be able to handle it if Carter were dead, hell, he didn't know if he could handle it.

He slowly made his way to the still form and whispered to her "Carter? You ok? It's me, O'Neill." Still no response, so he kneeled down to her and took her pulse, there was one, that was good. When he touched her shoulder to roll her to him she jumped and moved further away. He bit the inside of his lip before trying again, "Carter? It's me, Jack. Come on, let me help you." He didn't normally use his first name but in this case he felt it was appropriate.

This time she allowed him to roll her over to face him and she started crying hysterically. What he saw was a severely bruised face with bleeding wounds, bruising on her arms and neck, and her hands tied in front of her. "Oh my god! Carter, what did they do to you." He quickly cut the ropes on her wrists which had left rope burn marks on her soft skin. She didn't respond other than her crying but rather tried to roll back from him so he grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her to him. "Shhh…. C'Mere, it's me, it's me. I won't hurt you." She was still crying so he sat back against the wall with his feet out, removed his jacket, moved her between his knees to hold her back against his torso, blanketed her with his oversized jacket and just held her. He just held her against him, rocking "Shhh…. shhh… it'll be ok."

He knew something more than just being beaten had happened, she was too jumpy. Carter was a strong woman and just being punched around was only enough to make her challenge her attacker more. He held her tight and rested his chin on the top of her head just thinking about why these people would do this to her. He radioed the other SG teams to let them know he had her and was working on getting her ready to be brought back. He called and told Teal'c and Daniel to give them about ten more minutes and then they could come in and they could get moving.

Jack held her tighter and tiptoed around but finally asked if she had been raped and he heard a faint yes through the tears. His heart sunk and it took all he had to hold back his own tears and anger. She was crying so hard now she was almost convulsing. He took a deep breath and reached over to pull out the solar blanket he carried in his pack. He also took out the medical kit and started to clean the wounds on her face. "Come on baby, we have to stand up. Let's get you back so you can be checked out by Doc Frasier." The two stood in unison and he knew the entire situation was embarrassing for the woman he cared so much for. She was blaming herself for being weak enough to allow herself to be attacked and he kept trying to tell her it wasn't her fault.

When they were up, Jack saw she also had a lot of bruises on her legs and he cringed at the thought of the bastards hurting her the way they did. He took out some gauze pads, soaked them in peroxide and asked her if she could clean herself, which she said she could. He held the blanket between them and looked away to give her some privacy and when she was done he took the blanket and wrapped it around her torso holding it up with his belt making the blanket like a skirt and zipped her into his oversized coat.

"Can you walk back to the gate?" She nodded her head. "You sure? You know Teal'c or I could carry you." She shook her head, "no, I'll be fine, really." The shyness washed over her again when she saw Teal'c and Daniel. She wouldn't make eye contact and she clung to Jack making him take another deep breath.

Daniel tried to walk over to her but she shied into Jacks arm like a frightened child. Jack made a head movement telling Daniel to back away. Jack kissed the top of her head and she held his arm, "Come on baby, let's get outta here, ok."

He sent Daniel and Teal'c out first to tell the others to move ahead and not to stop to talk to Carter. He wanted there to be decent space between the other teams and have Daniel ahead of he and Carter and Teal'c covering their six.

By the time Jack & Carter walked out of the building it was just Daniel with Colonel Makepeace up on the hill watching to be sure they were ok. As soon as Jack gave him the thumbs up, Daniel and Makepeace caught up with the others and they made sure the path was clear.

SG's 3 & 5 went through the gate, leaving SG-6 to stay behind until SG-1 made it through. Col Makepeace had come through the gate telling everyone to "make a hole, no SF's or other personnel between the gate and the Infirmary" so SG-1 could get Carter to the Doctor without any interruptions or unnecessary eyes on them. He said the only person allowed in the Gate Room was Doctor Frasier, per order of Colonel O'Neill.

Hammond made it happen and all staff had been moved while the SF's cleared the corridors and held the entries on each end. He was afraid of what he was going to see when the woosh of two more people came through, Teal'c in the lead with Daniel following to be sure Makepeace got Jacks orders accomplished. Then Jack & Carter, with his arm around her waist and her holding him tightly. Doctor Frasier met them at the bottom of the ramp wanting to talk to Carter but she shied away so Jack swept his hand making her understand she needed to back off and he kept walking her to the infirmary. SG-6 finally came through the gate and it shut itself down.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Jack had found a bed for Carter in the infirmary and scrunched down in front of her holding her hands and looking her in the eyes. Dr Frasier walked in but kept her distance, "Ok Sam, Janet is here to check you out. She's gonna take good care of you." Janet smiled at how gentle Jack could be, most especially with his 2IC. Not many people knew of his gentleness but she had the pleasure to see it on several occasions now.

Jack waved for Janet to walk over so she did and started closing the curtain around the bed. Jack stood up still holding Sam's hand. "Ok Sam, here's Janet. I'm just going to go sit over there on the other side of the curtain." Sam squeezed his hand tighter, "No! I need you to stay with me." Jack looked at Janet, he didn't know what to do. It would certainly not be appropriate as a man or her CO to stay with her for such a physical.

Janet smiled and touched Sam's leg, "Sam honey, he's not leaving the room; he's just going to be over there." Sam got mad, "No! He needs to stay with me!" Jack sighed; he didn't know what to do. Janet thought of something and looked Jack in the eyes telling him she had a plan. "Ok, that's fine. I'll be right back" and Janet smiled and walked out of sight.

When she came back she had a syringe and Jack knew what her plan was so he sat next to Sam and she moved closer to him. He hugged her to him and Janet made a quick move to inject her in the arm with a sedative. "Owww! What was that?" Janet smiled and Jack rubbed the injection site. One; to try to make it stop hurting and two; to rub it down so it would dispense faster and not leave a knot.

A few minutes later Sam was asleep on Jack's lap so he slipped out from under her and laid her down on the bed. Janet could see the hurt in Jack's eyes as he looked at Sam, "Did she say anything to you about what happened?" Jack pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumbs and she knew he was trying not to cry. "Ya, I asked. She was ah…. sexually attacked as well." Janet dropped her head and put her hand on the Colonel's arm. "It's not your fault sir. She knows that. She's going to be ok, she's tough and it seems you are the one she trusts, that's good. She's going to need you to get her through this. But get through this she will. Now why don't you go rest, she's going to be asleep for a few hours." He shook his head, "Na, I'll be right over there." Janet knew he wouldn't leave but she always tried.

About an hour later, General Hammond had come down to check on everyone. Sam had still been asleep and Jack was dozing in a chair next to her bed, something quite common when any of his team members were in the infirmary. As the team leader, he wouldn't leave their side until they were awake and told him it was ok to do so, he felt it was his responsibility.

When Janet saw the General she came out of her office and explained to him her findings. She had indeed been physically and sexually attacked. She had sustained many areas of bruising and wounds to her face, neck, and arms and had some internal injuries which she wouldn't know extensively until Sam was awake and could tell her the level of pain or discomfort.

Hammond just shook his head in disgust. "Those sicko's, I don't understand why they would do that. Is she going to have any permanent damage?" Janet shrugged, "Maybe a couple scars from the wounds but nothing really noticeable, she is on birth control, so hopefully it worked, it's going to be emotional scars that may or may not heel." Hammond moved his chin to point to Jack, "what about him? What am I going to do with him in the meantime?"

Janet smiled and looked to the floor then back at her CO, "Sir, right now she is sedated because she wouldn't let anyone else within 10 feet of her. We'll have to see what happens when she wakes up but I would say they should both have some visits with Dr MacKenzie, maybe together at first, then separate if she will." Hammond nodded, "Ok, so you are saying SG-1 will need to be considered on stand down until further notice." Janet smirked, "That's right sir." Hammond grinned and walked away, "I'll check back later."

Hammond had called Teal'c, Daniel, and SG's 3,5, & 6 for a debriefing. As they were leaving Hammond asked Teal'c and Daniel to stay behind. He told them he was putting SG-1 on a stand down for a few days until he could reassess the situation. He then told them that if he continue's SG-1 on stand down he would allow the two of them to either temporarily join another team or just have the time off away from the base. Both nodded in understanding. Daniel had his hands buried in his pockets, "So, how are they? I've been trying to keep my distance."

The General smiled at the young Archeologist, "it's gonna be a rough road son, but they will both pull through. They are tough and she's got the Colonel to help her through but he's gonna need a friend to open up to eventually." And the General walked out of the room.

Teal'c finally spoke, "Should we not go visit them?" Daniel nodded, "ya, let's go, but if Jack says to leave, we are outta there." Daniel was still very nervous with the situation, he had never had a friend attacked so brutally. It was bad enough watching Sha're being taken by Apophis but he didn't think she had been brutally attacked, just brain washed.

As the two men walked into the infirmary, they saw Jack was dozing but Daniel squatted down to talk to him anyway. "Hey Jack. Do you need anything?" Jack sat up in his chair and tried to focus. "No thanks Daniel, but thanks for asking. Hey Teal'c." Daniel didn't know what else to say, "Hey, you want Teal'c and I to sit here with Sam for a while so you can take a break at least? You gotta eat and drink Jack it's been since this morning. You won't be any good to her if you wither." Jack knew the man was right but he wouldn't leave her. "Really Daniel, I'm ok, I still have a few Protein bars in my pocket and I can get water here." Daniel just shook his head, he knew he wouldn't win. "Alright, well then we'll see you in the morning but call if you need anything. Neither of us is leaving the base the next few days so we'll be here." Jack smiled and was about ready to fall asleep again so they left.

Janet came over with a bottle of water, "I heard you telling them you had some and they are right, you need to eat & drink Colonel, and not just protein bars. Why don't I order something for you. They can bring it down here." Jack nodded but said nothing.

A few moments later, Sam woke up screaming. Jack and Janet sprung towards her, "It's ok Sam, it's me, it's Jack. You're ok." Janet leaned in closer and smiled, "Sam honey, you're ok, it's just the Colonel and I here." Sam sat up to hug Jack and held him tighter and Janet just sighed, _why couldn't the Air Force just let them be together for crying out loud!_

The scream was loud enough to bring several SF's and the General running into the room. Janet quickly dismissed the SF's but allowed the General to enter and keep his distance. It took a few minutes of Jack holding and rocking the woman to make her stop and she did. At this point Jack didn't care who saw him with Sam, he'd retire if he had to but he was NOT leaving her side. Jack asked Sam if she wanted to talk to the General and she said she would as long as Jack held her.

The General was very vague in his conversation and told her he had notified her father Jacob of the situation. It tore the older man up inside seeing what had happened to his friend's daughter and he knew if she were his daughter he'd want to know so he contacted his friend. He wished her well and told her he'd check back in a few hours, then the alarms started going off.

"Unscheduled off world activation!" came over the loudspeaker so the General took off. Jack was concerned but wasn't leaving. When the General made it to the Control Room Walter told him it was SG-2 and they were coming in hot. "All people to their ready. Let's get a medical team ready just in case!" they heard over the loud speaker, this time it was the General.

Sam was starting to freak about all the running around and Janet noticed. Jack was holding her tight and speaking softly. "Colonel, why don't you take Sam down to her quarter's. She'll have more privacy down there and I will check on you when we are through." Jack nodded and moved to get up, "Come on Sam, let's get down to a quiet area." He handed her a pair of scrub pants to put on under her johnnie and brought a scrub shirt along and escorted her down the hall in the opposite direction as the chaos.

When she was in her own room she was much more comfortable and Jack was able to put some space between them. "Why don't you slip on this shirt since you're up." She nodded and he turned his back to give her privacy.

"I want to thank you sir." Jack smiled, _she's back to calling me sir, we're getting better! _"For what, being your friend, your CO?" Sam was being bashful again, "Well, for everything, for coming to find me, for understanding, for being respectful, for letting me lean on you like this, for being someone I can trust to be all those things." Jack held back his emotion as she was crying, he leaned back into her "C'mere" and he took her into a tight hug letting her cry. He moved his mouth down to her neck and whispered, "Carter, you know I would never do anything to hurt you and you know I will always be here for you, no matter what. It just kills me that I let them get you to start with."

He felt her getting heavier so he leaned down and laid her on the bed. "Good night sir." He covered her, "Goodnight Carter." As he turned to leave she stopped him, "Jack, stay with me?" He knew if people thought how close they were in the infirmary was inappropriate, staying in her quarters with her certainly would be. "Ok, but first I gotta run down and pee. I will lock the door behind me, alright? I'll be right back." She didn't want him to but she agreed, she knew he had not left her side since he found her so she let him go.

While he was out, Jack took the opportunity to stop and talk to Hammond and filled him in on what was happening. He ensured Hammond he would be sleeping on the floor or the chair and if he was concerned otherwise that he could secretly install a camera. Hammond shook his head, he trusted his 2IC to do the right thing. It wasn't like the two had never been alone before or even share a tent. For crying out loud they were trapped together on many occasions, no reason to wonder about anything now.

Jack was hoping she had fallen asleep but when he returned she was still awake and was crying. "Please don't leave me again sir!" He went over to her bed and took her hand, "I will never _leave_ you Sam, I'm here as long as you need. Now why don't you get some sleep and in the morning we will talk." He leaned in to give her a kiss on her forehead, "Shhhh, now get some sleep, I'll be right here" he pointed to the chair.

He sat in the chair and propped his feet up on the foot of the bed as he watched his 2IC fall asleep. Within a half hour, Daniel had stuck his head in and which woke Jack so he walked to the door and they stepped outside. "I brought you two some sandwiches and water, I figured you HAVE to be hungry now." Jack smiled his half awake smile, "Thanks Daniel." Daniel just stared at the older man, "How is she?" Jack shrugged as he took a bite from one of the sandwiches. "She has her moments, but I am sure she'll pull through in time. I have to talk to Janet in the morning, I'm hoping to get her outta this dungeon and home. We'll see how she's doing by Thursday, maybe we can have just SG-1 and maybe Janet & Cassie over for a cook out this weekend. One day at a time ya know."

Daniel smiled, "You're a good friend to all of us Jack. Lord knows you've pulled me out of a few situations, now it's Sam's turn. I know you'll get her through it just remember we're all here if YOU need something" he pointed his finger at Jack's chest. "Thanks Daniel, I better get back in to her. Hey, can you grab me someone's Nintendo DS. I think Siler has one if he hasn't blown it up yet." Daniel just shook his head chuckling under his breath. "Will do Jack!"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

In the morning, Jack was woken up by Jacob Carter, Sam's father, tapping him on the shoulder. He had received General Hammond's message and came as quickly as he could. Jack yawned and stretched realizing who it was and they stepped outside to talk. Jacob was one unhappy man when he found out the extent of his daughters injuries. Jack told him she was very cautious around anyone other than himself right now but told him to wait until she woke up and he would tell her that her dad was here.

When Jack reentered the room, Sam heard the door creek and she woke up. Jack walked over and gently brushed the hair from her face, "Morning sunshine." Sam smiled and sat up. "You're still here." Jack made a face, "What you think I'd lie to you? I told you I would be here but I just stepped out into the hall for a second. Jacob is here and he really would like to come in and say hi to you. What'cha think?"

Carter started crying, she didn't want her father to see her like this, weak, and abused. "Sir, I'd rather not…." Jack took her hand and sat on the side of the bed. "Why? You know he won't hurt you, I'll stay right here." A minute later Jack got up and let Jacob in before returning to her side and holding her hand. Jacob didn't like the closeness between the two, he thought it was bordering on inappropriateness but he said nothing.

Jacob sat in the chair next to the bed after leaning in and giving her a kiss on the cheek. They talked for about an hour before Jack told him they had to get up to Doc Frasier for her check up at 10:00. So the three walked up to the infirmary for Janet to check Carter out again. Sam still didn't want to be alone without Jack so he stayed, turning his back during some of the exam but still holding her hand. Sam told her father she wanted him to leave the room. He understood and was waiting for Jack until Carter asked him to go and shut the door. Carter told Janet she wasn't having any issues other than being sore, there was no more bleeding but her face was still hurting. Janet told her it was because of the fractured cheek bone and that it would take a month or so to heel. Luckily there was no damage to her nose or eyes so Janet figured the rest will just need time.

Jacob had gone up to see General Hammond in his office and they talked about Sam and Jack for a while. Jacob told Hammond what he had seen and Hammond smiled. "Jacob, I understand what you are saying but to be honest, Jack is the only person Carter is trusting to be near her right now so if it helps her recover, I am sticking with it. Jacob you have no idea what she was like when she first came back through the gate. She has improved tremendously because of Jack, let it go. I am watching them." Jacob trusted his friend but he knew Jack was in love with his daughter and that was wrong for a CO.

Jack asked Sam if she was ready to go back out in the world and although she didn't like the idea, she agreed to go home to Jack's house. "Why my house? Wouldn't you be more comfortable at your house?" Janet knew why, because at Sam's house Jack may want to go home for a while but at Jack's, he would be content. Janet was no fool!

"I don't know, I thought you'd be more comfortable in your own bed after sleeping in a chair the last 2 days and besides you have a nice guest room. Mine is full of junk I'd have to clean out." Jack smiled, "Ok, to the O'Neill Castle it is."

Janet smiled, "I am gonna be stopping in to check on you two tomorrow. I'll call first in case you need anything from the store." Jack smiled and waved to the Dr, "Sounds good Doc, see you tomorrow." Jack was just happy to get out from under the Mountain.

They stopped down in the locker room to change into their civilian clothes and said their goodbye's to Daniel, Teal'c, Jacob and General Hammond. Jack told them they could call his cell phone with any questions and told them they would be at his house. Daniel tried to give Sam a hug but she shied away so he got the hint and moved back.

Jack told them to give her a day or two and then maybe over the weekend just the four or five of them could get together, maybe also Janet & Cassie. They all agreed it was a good idea. Jacob told her he had to get back to the To'kra but he would check back in a few days. He leaned in to give her a kiss and she moved away until jack held her arm and whispered in her ear. Then she stepped forward and gave her father a quick hug. It was then that Jacob knew what Hammond had been saying, she trusted Jack completely.

They stopped at Sam's house to get a few things and then went home to Jack's. He set her up in the spare room and then they went back out to watch tv for a few hours before dinner and finally bed. It was going to be the first night she was alone without him so he let her get situated and then went in and gave her a kiss on the forehead to reassure her he would be in the next room if she needed anything. And he went to bed in his room.

As he was falling asleep he could hear her sobbing but he knew she had to start taking time away from him if she was going to recover so he didn't go in. The thought hurt him but he let it go and he finally fell asleep.

He woke up at about 3:30am and felt a warm form against him. He looked down and there she was, she had crawled into his bed at some point. He laid there for a few minutes, it was nice to feel a woman next to him again but he knew it was wrong so he slipped out of the bed to use the bathroom, then came back and carried her back to her own bed where she stayed until morning.

A few days had gone by with them just hanging around the house. Janet had come by the first day and said she set up appointments for Sam & Jack to attend counseling at the Academy Hospital. Then each day another person from their team called and Jack had them each visit one person a day until Sunday when he asked everyone over. He thought that although Sam was still being clingy and he was still taking her back to her bed at least once per night, she was doing better.

The gathering went well and by the end of the evening Sam had let each of them touch her hand or shoulder to say their goodbye's, but still no hugging which was fine, they all understood. The General had asked Jack to walk out to the car with him and he asked his 2IC for an honest assessment of how Sam was doing. He told the General they were going to see Dr McKenzie in the morning and they would see what he thought but Jack thought she was doing much better allowing people to shake her hand or tap her shoulder. It had only been four days, he thought.

The General was so torn with the living arrangement, he knew they were teetering on the line of inappropriateness but he trusted them and Jack reassured the man that he had nothing to worry about and that everything was on the up and up and they were doing nothing that other best friends wouldn't do for each other. Hammond said he'd give Jack another week to help Sam and he was hoping by the following week Jack could get back on schedule, even if Sam couldn't yet which Jack thought was fair.

The week went by and they visited Dr McKenzie twice together and the Doc wanted Sam to have a session alone but she pitched a fit, so he just had a quick five minute session while Jack snuck off to the men's room. Yes, it had been planned by Jack and the Doc but she didn't know it.

During the week Jack had also told her he wanted to go to the store, he needed groceries and she refused to go but gave him permission and she stayed home. On Saturday, Jack told her he was going to the SGC and insisted she tag along. Everyone was happy to see her and gave her the space they thought she would want. Slowly but surely she was getting better.

That Monday Jack reported to work and Sam went in but stayed in her quarters. She figured she'd be safe there locked into her room. He did drag her out to the commissary for lunch and dinner so she would be around people. The same happened all week as well as her visiting Dr McKenzie. They had one session together then Jack insisted she do as McKenzie wanted so he sat out in the hallway so she could have some private sessions. By mid week, she allowed Daniel, Teal'c and Janet to give her a quick hug. Jack was so happy with her progress, she was such a strong woman.

That weekend, they had all gathered at Janet's House and it was another SG-1 Team night with Janet & Cassie. Sam was getting much more comfortable and thanked everyone for a wonderful night, they were able to take her mind off her troubles long enough to have fun. Jack was hoping she would be ready to return home but she refused so he took her back to his house.

Dr McKenzie had taken Jack aside after Sam's last session and told him it was time to start the "Tough Love" process. Jack knew it was going to be hard but it's been almost 3 weeks now and he needs to put space between he and Sam. It was time she started standing on her own two feet.

As he was driving back to his house he told Sam SG-1 was going to be deployed Monday morning on a basic mission and said he agreed to accompany Daniel & Teal'c. She started tearing up and put her head on his shoulder. He hated doing this to her but it was time. "I don't want you to go, I'm not ready to be alone."

He took a deep breath, "Sam, you are ready, you are doing great. I thought about it, why don't you stay at the SGC in your quarters. Then you will have plenty of protection, there will be no worry. But I'm gonna tell you something… I give Janet and Hammond my permission to read you the riot act if they can't account for you getting to the commissary at least 3 times while I'm gone." She smiled knowing he would do it too. "Do you want me to post an SF outside your door for protection? If you do, remember I will have them account for each and every time you leave the room for any reason so I will know everything." He lightly pinched her making her chuckle. "No, that's ok, I'll be fine at the SGC." He leaned his head over as far as he could without breaking sight of the road, "that's my girl."

She did fine while he was gone, it was hard to watch him leave but she knew she was well protected in the mountain. Hammond had SG-1 deploy every couple days for the next week just to work on Sam's rehabilitation. By the end of the third deployment, she had been out in the hall smiling to those who said hi, she had gone back to her lab to fiddle around and when Jack returned he was so proud of her. He told his team he would treat them to dinner so they took him up on the offer. It was the first time Sam would be out in public like this but she had Jack and the other two men who she cared for as brothers.

That night, Sam & Jack went back to his house and finished the evening watching the Simpson's Movie. Jack was excited to be watching his favorite movie again but Sam had fallen asleep against him with his arm over her. He couldn't help but feel it was so right but he knew in his heart it was time to have her go home. She was doing well enough these days that they were probably now crossing the line with inappropriateness having her stay with him and their fairly constant physical contact was really eating at him. He leaned back looking to the ceiling, in the morning he would talk to her about that, but right now, he was going to hold what he knew he may never have again.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It had been another couple weeks, Jack & Teal'c had talked her into starting more personal protection training in the gym. Jack was always making her laugh as he would show up with head, knee, elbow, and groin protection. He was of course stronger than her but she was quicker and there had been a couple times she threw him to the ground and didn't pull the kick or punch fast enough making Jack crumble to his knees.

By the end of the training Sam had resumed life as usual. She was much more confident of herself and more comfortable being alone. She had been staying home and driving herself back and forth to the SGC. General Hammond had received a report from Dr McKenzie releasing her to minimum duty. He didn't want her deployed off world as of yet but there was no reason she couldn't work in her lab or help SG-1 figure things out over the radio. She could talk someone through the toughest of tasks so her place at the SGC was always needed.

By the end of that month, she was able to be released to a full schedule and allowed to accompany SG-1 on short day missions before they worked their way into their normal off world missions. The first few were hard but Sam never freaked, even when they came across new "beings". The confidence building exercises Jack & Teal'c had taught her definitely worked.

While they had been on their downtime, Jack had also made sure Daniel had time at the range to be comfortable with the larger weapons and he had been teaching him some tactical scenarios. Between Jack and Teal'c training him, Daniel had actually become quite good so when they returned off world with Sam, Jack felt more confident that Daniel didn't need so much cover. In fact the three had discussed their new tactical positions of Teal'c covering Daniel and Jack covering Sam whenever possible which didn't surprise the other two men. It wasn't that Jack wasn't completely confident that Teal'c couldn't cover Sam but at this point, at least for now, he wanted to be sure she was ok before letting her move off alone.

One night they were on their first overnight mission since Sam had returned, so they had set up tents. Teal'c took the first watch so Daniel was in his tent and Jack & Sam in another. Jack had just started falling asleep when he felt Sam staring at him. He laid still for a moment before speaking, "What's up Carter?" She flinched knowing she had been caught. "Nothing sir, I was just thinking. I can't thank you enough for everything you did for me since my attack." Jack rolled over in his sleeping bag and looked her in the eyes for a moment. "Carter, there is nothing I wouldn't do for you and I know if I were the one hurt, you would've done the same for me, it's what we do."

Sam thought for a moment, "true. But I think you went above and beyond on this one and you made sure I didn't feel anymore embarrassed having you help me than I would have if it were Janet." Jack chuckled a bit, "Carter, are you saying I am one of your girlfriends now?" She smiled, "No, I am saying you are a man with a heart of gold. I know there were times you had to have been blushing but you powered through it and never left me when I told you I needed you."

He started shaking his head, "Sam, always…. I will always be there for you. Don't EVER doubt that. I don't care what the situation is, I am here for you." Jack reached over and put his hand on hers for a moment while they spoke only through their eyes.

When Jack began feeling like he wanted to do more, he turned onto his stomach, "Night Carter." Sam wanted to cry but she didn't, knowing that's all there could be for now "Good Night Sir."

End


End file.
